The trees of a long-ago homestead continue to produce delicious fruit.

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Spend a crisp hour or two among the crisp fruit found at Palomar Mountain State Park. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

WE OFTEN UTTER THE WORDS... "if these walls could talk" when we enter a building that has some history to it. We wonder who lived there over the decades or centuries, we ponder the parties and celebrations, we think about the future for the landmark structure and its days to come. But doing this for outdoor spaces, like gardens and orchards, is a bit less common, if only because we tend to associate growing things with the larger notion of wilderness and nature. But there are several historic patches of greenery around the Golden State, leafy locales that have weathered the years, and they, too, could share a story or two. One such spot is Palomar Mountain State Park, a destination that's "made up of old pioneer homesteads that included magnificent apple orchards," fruit-filled spreads that are "... still producing to delicious apples to this day..." To enjoy a setting with history that happens to have plenty of fresh air, too, and to savor a crisp autumn day, one where the temperatures aren't too toasty, make for...

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK... on Sunday, Oct. 16 for the 2016 Palomar Apple Festival. The four-hour party happens around the middle of the day — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — and entry includes free day use of the park. "No charge for apples, apple goodies or cider!" trumpets the site, and that's just about as sweet as the fine fall weather we're expecting. Chili and cornbread will be for sale, so bring a fiver if you want some hearty fare, and plan to take part in a few old-style games and crafty activities. There are no tours of the orchards in 2016, due to the drought, do note. And if you want to pay homage to the time when the first apples grew on these historic branches, wear something that looks like it might have been sewn in the 19th century, if you own such an outfit. Ready for some fall, mountainside sweetness with an element of wayback-a-tude? Oct. 16 is your day out at Palomar, apple aficionados.